Ex-RNC head Steele: 'Emasculated' GOP lawmakers falling in line for Trump will cause the party to collapse

Appearing on a broadcast with Mediaite columnist John Ziegler, former RNC head Michael Steele bemoaned the state of the party he once oversaw, saying Republican lawmakers have allowed themselves to be "emasculated" by President Trump to the point where the party has become endangered.

According to the Republican, who has become increasingly critical of Trump as his administration has stumbled from one crisis to the next, the embattled president is still setting the GOP agenda at a time when his popularity has cratered.

Steele singled out White House Chief of Staff Reince Priebus -- who followed him at the RNC -- for not reining in Trump and, thus, damaging the GOP brand.

“You still have to stand for something,” Steele explained. “You still have to be about something, and for the party that always takes it on the chin when it comes to matters related to women and minorities and others, and yet we argue that’s not who we are – you seemingly embrace the ugliness of [Trump’s Access Hollywood video] – I think that’s a problem.”

Saying the 2018 mid-terms could be devastating for the Republicans, adding,  "the party that I know I chaired will not exist,” Steele said Republicans need to step up with more than words and mentions of the party's glorious past.

“The party has emasculated its authority, in my view, to speak to various groups of people about a host of issues,” Steele said. “I get sick and tired of hearing Republicans going out and citing Ronald Reagan and they clearly don’t even know the man.”

You can listen to the audio below via Mediaite: